james is 2

photos from jimmer's second birthday party. he loved his cake: a highway cake with cars and trucks and traffic signs. he loved his presents, especially a plastic tractor that was broken the next day. and he clapped when he blew the candles out. (didn't get a pic of that because i was at a bad angle... but it was cute).

*disclaimer #1: i don't yet know how to use the powerful camera ellen and gary gave me for christmas. user errors! sorry!

james waits patiently for his slice o' cake

happy birthday james!

disobey world

i made a quickie visit to the magic kingdom this weekend, or "disobey world" as one friend called it via his intuitive texting feature. i think disobey world would be a much different kind of theme park, leaving you with scars and diseases... an amsterdam kind of thing. disney world, on the other hand, was 100 percent magical. eliza captured a slim fraction of magic on her phone camera.

press play for a sideways, enchanted window into the happiest place on earth:

and away we go... 2011

but not without a look back.

i believe in new year's resolutions in theory... but apparently not in practice. i have friends who consider, draft and finalize their resolutions, broad sweeping changes for their lives. and i have those who make lengthy lists that read more like to-dos than what i think the spirit of the whole thing is: appraise yourself and look to make yourself a little better every year.

i haven't made real, thoughtful resolutions for years, but i've thought a lot about the way i handle my business and formed three resolutions based on the things in my business-handling i like the least. i am hereby resolved to be a little better by this time next year in the following arenas: (and i'm etching my resolutions in the permanent ink of the internet just to dial up the pressure to keep 'em).

in 2011 i want to

1 - do what i say i'll do.

2 - do things that scare me (like, for instance, make commitments and follow up on them).

3 - look for ways to improve the lives of the people around me. this third one means i have to put down the boxing gloves that were a fixed feature on the landscape of 2010. the people of trader joe's will be relieved, i'm sure.

there are smaller, listy ways i'm getting at these three broad goals... though i need to tweak my methods. i already broke #2 about 4 times this weekend. i bailed on a MLK brunch (without telling the host. he wasn't happy). and i bailed on a ski trip. (again. without informing the host my rsvp was now no from yes). oh gosh. not doing so great on the commitments.

um.

2011 starts today. happy new year.

i have a blog?

yes i DO have this special place in the back alley of the internet to record my secret and most brilliantest thoughts. here are three, in random order:

1. nerds rule. i've dabbled in the sciences (for the first time) with my Discovery research gig, and i'm in LOVE with nerds and the whacked out questions they ask -- from the ridiculous to the audacious. it feels like we've hit upon a new renaissance, or am i just now paying attention? did you know nerds are busy right this very second building synthetic life? creating matter? invisibility cloaks? science is creation. it's so optimism... nerds are the real american heroes.

2. why can't i live overseas? pull a thoreau and quit it all...?

3. SUMMER! joyfully! officially! (as of monday night). blessed open season on all of my life favs: humidity, gardens, swimming holes, lightening bugs, watermelon, beach, HOT, tennis, tan, and all things fertile and lovely. thank you, life! summer break please!

mac computer photo booth

is there anything better in the world?

55 million reasons to vote

dear virginia,

you are encouraged to make your way to the voting booth tomorrow, november 3rd, and cast a ballot... encouraged strongly by thousands of investors (many of them from out of state) that paid through the nose for their candidate to win tomorrow. the specific sum, a stunning $55 million, is a record for state races. you've come along way, virginia!

you already know the players. creigh deeds, the democrat, has the labor unions (from new york, maryland, pennsylvania...) on his team. bob mcdonnell has business, construction and insurance companies mailing him checks. both received the bulk of their funding from their respective political groups, and lord only knows where that money came from. a convenient loophole allows both candidates to withhold the full donor list from political groups. you know, the same groups that donated a full quarter of the cash to this race.

virginia, you and new jersey are the only lucky states with big state elections in this off-year. you're in the spotlight, baby! obama's people are afraid the results of this election will play as a referendum on the first year in office -- scaring away the blue dog dems in congress. the republicans need a win and see this election as a chance to slow down impending legislation, like the health care bill. state politics? the governance of virginia? no one cares about THAT. those are NOT the kinds of questions that draw $55 million.

it should be mentioned the interest the big labor has in virginia, because unions did buy our democratic nominee on the open market. unions plans to start the work of rolling back "right to work" laws in virginia. that law says both employees and businesses don't have to be part of a union/pay dues. if labor has their way, we'd have to unionize to work.

and it should be mentioned that super conservative people are backing mcdonnell, who is moderate politically but far right socially.

so that's your choice, virginia. i hope you can ignore the combined $24 million in muddy, pathetic radio and television ads and vote for what would be best for the state, not the white house, not the out-of-staters with deep pockets, nor congress or the media that has already decided what the election results mean for the country. your vote was worth a pretty penny, so make sure you spend it wisely, virginia!

because god loves squirrels too

winter weather advisory: a very cold and long winter.

how do i know? well. you've got punxsutawney phil, the famous groundhog, to tell you when spring will start by his reckoning of his shadow. i look to another rodent in the fall to know what kind of winter i can expect. and this jumpy little friend has never steered me wrong in predicting what the winter solstice has in store. i trust the Sciurus carolinensis -- or Eastern Gray Squirrel -- for my weather report.

my proof: have you noticed all the gajillions of acorns underfoot this fall? i noticed them in late summer in my parent's yard, rocking and rolling around the lawn as i tried to mow. and i noticed those $&*@ acorns in old town when a puddle of 'em left me no traction on a run... and down i went. it means something, people. it means we're in for a mighty cold and LONG winter. why? because god loves the squirrels. those tree dwelling rodents need energy for all that tail twitching and street scurrying -- up to 2 pounds of chow a week, or 20 acorns (according to my sources). so when it's going to be a brutal winter, god makes some extra late-summer food storage for the cutest of the four-legged scavengers. don't discount my theory. it's science. or it's proven by years of intense squirrel gazing -- and isn't science just the latest theory no one has yet to disprove?

oh. and there have been fewer solar flares this year. so... yeah. there's something for the nerds to get behind. batten down your hatches and order your snuggie today! it's real and it's coming! brrrrrrrr....